Chapter 59

Li Xian had been very busy lately, so busy that even Xia Qingqing had started to complain. In the middle of the night, while sleeping, he would suddenly shout out strange names like coal tar, phenol, trinitrotoluene, concentrated sulfuric acid, concentrated nitric acid, fat, sodium nitrate, soap, and glycerin. It wasn't just the shouting; he did it so loudly that Xia Qingqing couldn't sleep at all.

Li Xian didn't want to, but his chemistry knowledge was lacking, so he had to review and organize it bit by bit. This naturally led him to become obsessed.

However, under Li Xian's simple, even rudimentary guidance, and with the hard work of many cultivators, soap was finally produced. Glycerin also appeared, and related acids and bases gradually emerged, giving birth to a small chemical industry.

During the research period, Li Xian sincerely marveled—never underestimate the wisdom of others! This Immortal Realm had existed for countless years, and many things had been studied and explored, just not systematically or guided by scientific thought. What was lacking was merely guidance! This further solidified Li Xian's resolve to keep certain things secret, such as electricity and explosives.

While Song Xing was talking confidently, Li Xian had already made the final preparations.

Xu Ren was also very curious, "Young Master, in the past, we were afraid of explosions when we did research and experiments, but now we are studying explosives."

It wasn't that Xu Ren's temperament and intelligence had regressed to childhood; rather, Li Xian had indicated that the power of these explosions could even harm experts at the Golden Core stage, which piqued Xu Ren's curiosity.

Previously, Li Xian had made a small amount of gunpowder, but its explosive power was not significant, and Xu Ren hadn't taken it seriously. But now, the idea that this thing could harm Golden Core experts truly intrigued him.

He was even more curious—Young Master, where did you learn about these strange things? Looking at the rows of labeled glass bottles and the jumble of names, Xu Ren felt a headache coming on.

Li Xian chuckled but didn't explain. Instead, he began a countdown: "Everyone, get ready for cover! 10, 9, 8..."

Li Xian counted down while checking the surroundings for any oversights. This was explosives, after all, and once ignited, there would be no way to stop it mid-way, unlike some spells, which were rare anyway.

"...1, 0! Start!"

Li Xian personally pinched a small fire formation, igniting the fuse of the explosive mixture and the crude detonator made from gunpowder.

A loud explosion echoed, and a massive shockwave spread out. Li Xian felt debris flying around him, the world spinning, and his internal organs trembling.

Thud...

Li Xian knew he had fallen to the ground; fortunately, he still had feeling. But wasn't this explosion a bit too powerful?

Indeed, although Li Xian hadn't personally detonated yellow explosives in the other world, he had seen many explosions. Just 100 grams of explosives would never have such power! It had thrown him, a quasi-expert at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Condensation stage, who was hiding behind a steel plate, from ten meters away.

This was not normal!

But then again, being transported to this world wasn't a normal situation either. The rules of this world seemed different.

But regardless, increased power was ultimately a good thing!

Li Xian endured the trembling and protest of his internal organs in this blissful fantasy. Nearby, groans could be heard; at least Li Xian had some preparation, but the others had none—they didn't believe that a small amount of yellow powder, with no trace of spiritual energy, could have such power.

"Cough, cough..." Xu Ren, his face flushed, either from embarrassment or shock, finally got up. The "Minister of Strategists" looked quite disheveled.

Li Xian, who was prepared, had already gotten up. Seeing Xu Ren's disheveled state, his beloved "feather fan" now a "feather fork," he laughed, "How do you feel about the power? If ten kilograms of this explosive were to detonate, would it harm a Golden Core cultivator?"

Xu Ren gritted his teeth, "If you make a ton of this explosive, even a Nascent Soul expert would spit blood. But don't get too cocky, Young Master. Explosives, though powerful, are still external tools. Cultivation is the foundation."

"Thank you for the reminder, sir."

Seeing everyone stand up, Xu Ren said solemnly, "Everyone, you have all witnessed the power of explosives and chemistry. I don't need to say more, do I?"

Everyone naturally understood and took oaths. Such oaths, while binding, also fostered mutual trust. For a team, mutual trust was the most important.

Li Xian was also very generous, immediately promising generous rewards, still 30% of the sales profit. The Brilliant Starlight Group had already reformed internally, and internal transactions were now the norm.

For example, if the textile factory wanted to get a loom from the machinery factory, it had to pay the internal price. If the machinery factory wanted materials or bearings from the smelting factory, it had to do the same. This method was the best way for internal communication within the group, promoting internal exchanges, stimulating competition, and encouraging research.

Therefore, 30% of the profits from selling explosives would be distributed to everyone.

A 30% profit was high, but Li Xian was happy to do it! Money was never enough! As long as he kept these people united, wealth would flow in! If they suddenly left, it would create a second competitor for Li Xian. At that point, the loss wouldn't just be 30%; he might even lose his life!

Now, the Brilliant Starlight Group had a clear rule: if a major breakthrough was made in personal research, the individual would receive 5% of the profit, and the remaining 25% would be shared with the team. If the breakthrough was made by the team, the 30% profit would be shared among everyone.

Seeing everyone take their oaths, Li Xian spoke again, "Since the explosives have been successfully developed, everyone listen to my orders.

Establish a chemical industry branch and be responsible for all chemical substance research, including explosives. Liu Dongbao, you are in charge! Note that these explosives are toxic and can be fatal in severe cases. Pay attention to safety during production."

"Yes!" This injured soldier, who now had only his thumb and index finger on his left hand, was now full of spirit.

"Yang Qianjiang, you are responsible for establishing the armory! The armory will operate independently and only accept direct leadership from me and the Planning Department."

"Yes!" Yang Qianjiang, who had lost his right arm at the elbow and his left thumb, and who had told Li Xian stories, was finally filled with fighting spirit again.

In recent days, Li Xian had spent a lot of time explaining the characteristics and technical requirements of gunpowder weapons to Yang Qianjiang and others. Concepts such as pistols, submachine guns (light machine guns), heavy machine guns, automatic, semi-automatic, sniper rifles, and artillery, including shrapnel shells, had been discussed countless times.

Now that the explosives had been successfully developed, and they were yellow explosives that couldn't be easily cracked, all the dreams of weapons seemed to be burning fiercely, burning themselves and the world.